Ciao my dear friends, here I am with a new post dedicated to the "Bella Italia". Yes, I am a great admirer of my land, a mixture of natural and artistic beauties without equal. Though I love to visit other countries, I'm happy to discover or, in some cases, to visit again some Italian places that seduced me. In the list of my places of the heart, an important place is occupied by the Campania, a land not easy, full of contradictions, problems sometimes insurmountable, but with an unique human heritage and wonderful landscapes.

I recently went back there and, in a few days, I had a compendium of places and situations that gave me a lot of emotions for the the eyes and the heart.

First of all, the beautiful Positano. I still remember the first time I was here, many years ago. I arrived the night before, with pouring rain, I did not immediately realize the beauty that awaited me. At that time, I lodged at Sirenuse, a great boutique hote, set in an incredible location. When, the next day and with a bright sun, I looked out to the balcony, I had a blow to the heart. I will never forget the thrill of the scattered houses of many colors on the hill, overlooking a seductive sea.

The bougainvilleas, the serene atmosphere, the diffused scents.... Not for nothing that Positano has been a holiday place since the time of the Roman Empire. Who can blame our ancestors? Although it is often crowded of visitors, Positano retains a charm that no tours of tourists will never ruin. Even a few days ago it was raining, but when I got out from the car, miraculously, the sun appeared.

I took the opportunity to wander round the narrow and picturesque streets, visit the church of S. Maria Assunta with the baroque interior, the statue of the Black Madonna and the characteristic dome majolica. The beaches are wonderful too. The beach Grande, Fornillo and, further east, the beach of Laurito, S. Pietro, Arienzo, Fiumicello, la Porta e Torre Sponda. For the walkers there is the "sentiero degli dei" that winds through Bomerano and Nocelle. Don't forget the shopping! The famous handmade leather sandals, the little dresses and shirts with laces and embroideries, the specialties of the place, first of all the famous limoncello.

The next day, I left for Ischia and Procida.

First stop: the vast thermal park Poseidon, located in the bay of Citara, in the municipality of Forio. Here, you can find 22 thermal pools ranging from 20 to 40 degrees and a park full of flowers overlooking a long and beautiful beach. It is a truly special place. Only note: the entry price (32 Euros) also includes the beach. Too bad it's only equipped with uncomfortable chairs. No sunbeds, given the cost of entry is not exactly cheap, they should not have missed, especially after swimming in thermal water. Here, relaxation is a must!

If you want to go to a natural, free thermal bath, I suggest you Sorgeto Bay. Reached by stairs from the village of Panza, near Forio, is an inlet of reefs and rocks where the hot and mineral-rich water mixes with seawater. A place not to miss.

At 7.25 p.m. I was back to the port to catch the ferry to Procida. What about this island? Really beautiful, less visited than Ischia and Capri, but intriguing for its special atmosphere. When I arrived, I admired a warm sunset lighting the pastel facades of the houses of the port. Procida has been repeatedly set of Italian and foreign films. First of all: "Il Postino" with the great Massimo Troisi. Then, "The Talented Mr. Ripley" by Anthony Minghella with Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow," Francesca e Nunziata "by Lina Wertmuller and many others. The reason of all these movies you can easily understand from the beautiful architecture of the island, spontaneous and picturesque, the ingredients of which are the arch and the rampant staircase. A melting pot of pastel houses that give an incredible feature to the coasts and allowed, it is believed, to the fishermen to recognize their homes by the sea. The most charming places? The village of Marina Grande, Terra Murata, the fishing village of Corricella (beautiful!) and the port of Marina Chiaiolella. After admiring the architecture, you can go for a swim in the crystal clear waters of the island. I recommend the beach "Pozzo Vecchio", where they were shot some scenes of "Il Postino", the Chiaolella beach, the Chiaia beach overlooking the Corricella and Terra Murata. If you want a more intimate space, the beautiful beach of Faro, in the end of Via Faro, with a great view of Marina Grande.

For dinner: the "Scarabeo", a restaurant, all surrounded by lemon trees, in an almost unreal atmosphere. I have tasted scialatielli with seafood and the excellent "Frittura di Paranza". I really recommend them ..

Returning from Procida, just arrived in Naples by boat, to console myself for the end of my little holiday, I had dinner with a great pizza at the historic Sorbillo in the new branch, placed on the seafront boardwalk, on the corner of Victoria Square. Really to remember!

Hi Marina! First of all, I want to congratulate you for the amazing posts that you've written.I found them very inspiring, and as I'm obsessed with travelling and I really enjoy it, my desires to travel are even bigger.

Now I have some questions for you. How do you make all those trips, I mean it must be hard to organize everything together: work, family (I see you have three daughters ) and stuff?

Hi Mina! Thank you so much... Yes, sometimes it's not easy to organize everything, buti it was worse when the girls were little, so complicated!! Now it's not so hard.. I prefer to travel without any tour operator because I fell the freedom to decide what I want to see.I've never been to Serbia and Belgrade, I would like to visit your marvellous country, soon or later I will come!!!A big kiss!